Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows as a member of the justice committee which considered Bill C-37 including these specific provisions that the proposal is that for 16 and 17 year olds transferred to adult court and convicted of first degree murder the period of parole ineligibility would be 10 years. That was arrived at, as the evidence before the committee demonstrated, because it was thought to be the appropriate balance between recognizing the age of the young person convicted of the offence and recognizing the need to protect society.

The provision in that bill which came out of committee has now been passed by the House.

Today the Canadian Hospital Association will be opening its annual meeting with a call to arms against the government's plan to dismantle the national health care system.

The plan to group funding for health, social assistance and education and to gradually deplete the cash portion of the transfer has been roundly denounced by the Canadian Medical Association, the Canadian Hospital Association, labour organizations, the provinces and territories. Even the nine Liberal members on the finance committee have said the cash portion must be retained.

Will the Prime Minister finally listen to Canadians and set out plans to ensure that the cash transfer portions for social and health programs will continue past the year 2000?

Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what we are trying to achieve in the bill. If we do not pass the legislation, there would be no cash transfers for health purposes within two or three years in some provinces.

That is why we changed the system, so there would always be cash transfers and we can ensure that the five conditions the House supports for medicare is respected. The only way to achieve it is by making these changes.

If we were to follow the advice of the leader of the NDP, within a couple of years provinces like Quebec, for example, would not receive any cash payments and we would have absolutely no more influence.

Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to present to the House a petition of 153 pages which was put together by the Fernie Resource Centre for Women. It is an interesting petition and I support it completely.

The final conclusion of the petition is that your petitioners pray and request that Parliament amend section 271 of the Criminal Code to include a minimum sentence of five years where a person pleads guilty to or is found guilty of level one sexual assault.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, it is my duty and honour to rise in the House to present a petition duly certified by the clerk of petitions on behalf of 60 individuals from the riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands and surrounding area.

The petitioners call on Parliament to enact legislation against serious personal injury crimes being committed by high risk offenders, by permitting the use of post-sentence detention orders and specifically by passing Bill C-240.

Mr. Speaker, I have another petition from John Lombardi of Houston, B.C. in my riding. The petitioners pray that Bill C-68, concerning the registration of firearms by law-abiding firearms owners not be passed by the House.

The petitioners call on Parliament to preserve Canadian unity, parliamentary tradition and to protect the rights of all the people of Canada by prevailing on the Speaker of the House to recognize the Reform Party of Canada as the official opposition during the remainder of the 35th Parliament.

Mr. Speaker, I have five petitions with 188 signatures in which the petitioners call on the Parliament of Canada to act quickly to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and to adopt all necessary measures to recognize the full equality of same sex relationships in federal law.